Gemma was a huge surprise for me and Rob but now that she’s joined our family, I sort of want to have another baby.

Now that we've got two girls, I can’t help thinking how nice it would be to have two boys as well.

Rob is done though. He only ever wanted two kids and although he adores Gemma as much as I do, he’s past his comfort level already.

I've always wanted a huge family, with like 9 or 10 kids and if Rob was on board, it would be very tempting to go for another one.

It’s probably just as well he’s not. I don’t know if I truly want to be pregnant again at 40 or if it’s even a good idea.

I think I can easily be content with our little family the way it is, anyway.

Gemma has definitely enriched our lives, even though we didn't plan her at all.

She’s very, very similar to what Felicity was like as a little one. That either means they’ll get on like a house on fire or clash terribly.

We’re hoping for the former. So far, so good.

Felicity and Patrick are both really great with Gemma and it’s lovely to see.

She’s obviously a lot younger than them but when she wants to play with them, they always include her. Even though Felicity is getting a little old for blocks.

I thought maybe Patrick had got too used to being the baby of the family but he hasn't shown any signs of resentment.

He’s actually relishing being a big brother, after only being a little brother for his whole life until Gemma came along.

Felicity wanted to bring Gemma to school with her the other day, which got a big fat no from me and Rob.

At least we know she loves her sister!

Felicity got a couple of Ds on her last school report but thankfully, she’s pulled up her grades a bit this term.

I’m not expecting her to excel but if she could just finish Grade 4 this year, I’ll be happy.

She’s just not overly interested in academics. She’d rather be hanging out with Iris, who is her best friend.

Felicity’s very dramatic and loud (she possibly inherited some personality traits from me!) and Iris is more reserved and laid back. They seem to balance each other out pretty well.

Iris lives pretty far from our place but we have her over as often as she can make it anyway.

It’s a good excuse for me to catch up with Claudia, seeing that can be pretty hard with kids.

We’re always saying we’ll organise a night out but it never seems to happen. Maybe when our children are a bit older.

It’s just hard to find a night when everyone can make it and has someone to watch the kids.

Patrick is good buddies with Josie’s son, Andrew, which I have mixed feelings about!

Josie is my best friend, so it’s sort of fun for our sons to be best friends as well but Andrew is so naughty!

Patrick is a good kid and I can’t help but worry about Andrew’s behaviour rubbing off on him.

Andrew is a little unpredictable. Sometimes he comes over and he’s absolutely fine.

Other times, he’s a total nightmare and goes around tormenting Felicity for no apparent reason other than his own amusement.

Josie thinks it’s a phase Andrew will grow out of and that he’s not going to end up the kind of guy who slams kids into lockers and flushes their heads down the toilet. I hope she’s right.

This year, Rob and I have really been reaping the benefits of having a teenage niece. Rose told me that Sylvia had been babysitting for a while and it didn't take me long to offer her some work!

Rose said Sylvia would be happy to earn some extra cash, so we’ve had her sit for us a few times since then.

Sylvia didn't really have any experience with toddlers but Gemma isn't too difficult a child to take care of, so we weren't too worried.

Rob and I didn't go too far from home the first time, nor were we out for too long. Now that Sylvia’s taken care of the kids a few times without issue though, we’re pretty confident leaving her with them.

Felicity and Patrick love having her over and they have a lot of fun with her.

They love my dad and Kendal too but they’re both past the age where they can get down on the floor and play with them for hours, so Sylvia is a nice change for them.

Dad and Kendal still volunteer to watch the kids but it’s lovely to have yet another option. I feel bad asking them too often, considering our kids aren't their only grandchildren. They have to have their own lives too.

It’s really given me and Rob the opportunity to get out a bit more. We’d been doing pretty well with the date nights but then I started working nights and then we had Gemma. That was all a bit of a curve ball for us.

It’s been really fantastic to get back into the swing of our date nights again. I hope we can continue it once Sylvia heads off to college!

Notes:

Title is from Turn Up The Sun by Oasis.

Ugh, this took way longer to get out than I expected it to! Real life keeps interrupting my simming. The next update is birthdays though and it should be up on schedule, if not earlier. I am for weekly updates.

Patience wants another baby. I don't think it'll happen - they're both on BC and at 40, Patience's chances of an oops are declining. Which is a good thing. I'm content with the three kids they have. Especially seeing they're all redheads. :D

Sylvia has been babysitting Zac Whitney (in the story anyway - I can't actually facilitate it in game) for a while now and seeing she's headed off to college soon, I figured she'd be happy to earn some extra cash. :)

16 comments:

Felicity and Gemma are adorable together, Gemma reaching out to her face, and Felicity holding Gemma, were such cute poses! It sure looks like they are getting along well.

Iris is a really interesting looking sim, I love the shape of her face. It is fun that she gets to come over even though she and Felicity live far apart, and it is funny how Josie and Patience are best friends but Patience worries about Josie's son's influence on Patrick, or if he might turn out to be a bully. He is acting like one for now... hopefully Josie is right.

I also really like the picture of the lights turned down (or maybe they are just low in that room) and Sylvia playing the Don't Upset the Llama with Patrick and Felicity.

Wow, that ideal family size! lol! Have you done a post before about how you calculate IFS? I only just finally got around to doing that for my sims and was lol'ing when Lucy came out with 7!!! I don't think I've ever considered allowing a family that many children, but I'm tempted with Lucy. I think she and Patience probably have sort of similar personalities, with the outgoing/cheerful/family-oriented. Dallas is a 2 like Rob is, though, so I get how that many would probably be overwhelming for the guys.

Patience be crazy. ;) No, I never did a post about the IFS, because I really just use Starr's system. It's a very simple little formula that is based on aspiration, as well as nice points and outgoing points.

Outgoing + ( 0.5 * Nice ) / Aspiration ACR Rank = Ideal Family SizeAspiration rank is Family, Knowledge, Fortune, Popularity, Pleasure, Romance, ranked 1-6. I do it twice, one for primary aspiration and one for secondary, and then I average it to get the IFS.

I never thought of Patience and Lucy being similar but they probably are, at least somewhat! I don't know that I would have let her go for 9 even without Rob being a wet blanket ;) but I'd probably let her go for at least one more and see what happens. In real life, I cannot fathom anyone having 9 children, so I totally get Rob and Dallas's more conservative family plans!

I was just looking at these three kids with that gorgeous red hair this update and I actually sighed with joy. I love them. So much!

This is such a sweet family. I really wouldn't mind seeing another baby from these 2! I love that posebox! EA really didin't give enought options for kids and toddlers in the game, thank god for some amazing creators!I always love seeing Andrew! I'm interested in seeing what influence he will have on others.

Heh, I think that fourth kid will have to remain a distant dream! Even if I had them try, it's a massively reduced chance of it happening at Patience's age.

And yeah, EA did overlook some things with kids and toddlers but after playing TS4, I'm just glad we even have toddlers! The interactions we do have with them are all really great and the pose box creators have done a nice job adding a few more things. :)

Of course Patience wants another baby! I think though that they're perfect where they are. At least she's willing to think about being pregnant at 40, unlike a few others in my hood I could name. That pick with Felicity holding Gemma is absolutely adorable! I like seeing the kids hanging out with their friends, though I understand the mixed feelings about Andrew, lol.

Sylvia babysitting is great, do you have her put some money into her savings account for her time? I've done that with Caitlyn when she babysat for all her nieces/nephews. I like the interactions of her playing with the kids and on the floor and playing the llama game, I remember the parents playing that last round and being bored. And ahh, the kids, so cute! Love all those little redheads and Felicity carrying Gemma around, too perfect!

I think 3 kids is pretty perfect for these two, even if Patience wants a whole ton, and they sure are cute enough to warrant it! How is her career going? She looks fabulous for forty too!

I hadn't thought of doing that for Sylvia but I think I'll set something up next time I have one of my teens babysit. Maybe for Alice, seeing Miles and Matilda are up next. Good idea.

Well, nine kids was never going to happen for Patience, so she would have had to have been content with stopping at some point before that. She is pretty high up in her career. No promotions this round, so she's still one level from the top. :)

Ha, yes, Rob knows! They had agreed on stopping at two and then Gemma came along as a surprise. Patience's age is the reason she doesn't really want to be pregnant again but Rob is just done. If she was five years younger, he'd still be done.

I was squealing over the red hair on the kids many times, especially when they were all together. Love it! I get so many families with the possibility for red hair who don't pay out and then Rob and Patience give me three. :D